RVIA Economic Impact Study

The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association commissioned an Economic Impact Study on the RV industry, released on June 7, 2016. The study found that the RV industry contributes about $49.7 billion in economic output or 0.28 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. Through its production and distribution linkages, the industry impacts firms in 426 of the 440 sectors of the United States economy.

Nationwide, the industry is responsible for 216,170 jobs, both directly and inderectly, creating an economic impact of $37.5 billion. The full study results, along with each individual state and congressional district's economic impact is available on the website by clicking here .

Non-farm jobs in Elkhart and Goshen grew by 5.3 percent from November 2016 to November 2017, according to data released Monday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the newspaper reports. The largest percentage decrease during the same period occurred in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, where job growth declined 5.6 percent. In Michigan City, located approximately 60 miles west of Goshen near the Indiana-Michigan line, job growth among non-farm industries shrank by 3.6 percent.

The newspaper says many local leaders credit the recreational vehicle industry for putting Elkhart County on the job-growth map, while others say it is a combination of efforts to create a climate that is rich for growth and communities that sustain that growth after it occurs.

“It’s certainly an exciting thing for our community to be able to boast that we have that many jobs being created,” Goshen Mayor Jeremy Stutsman says. “Each community in Elkhart County is working to manage that growth and we’re seeing the effects of that.”